


Inevitable

by Ivywolf



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, Morrigan accidentally catches feelings, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Sick Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:32:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15710094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivywolf/pseuds/Ivywolf
Summary: "Again the coughing rang out for longer this time and Morrigan sighed and sat up in her tent. She was never going to get back to sleep if this continued. "Morrigan loses sleep but gains so much more in return.





	1. Chapter 1

She was awoken by the sound of coughing. Not an altogether unreasonable thing given winter was soon to be upon them. It was inevitable at least some of their ragtag group would succumb to the cooler weather and fall ill. She shifted and settled back into her nest of furs, prepared to ignore whoever had awoken her when a cough sounded again. Her brows furrowed when she heard it. The cough had a certain wetness to it not the barking dry cough one usually expects with the early onset of a cold. No matter, she was hardly a healer nor did she particularly care if her traveling companions had to deal with such discomfort.

Again the coughing rang out for longer this time and Morrigan sighed and sat up in her tent. She was never going to get back to sleep if this continued. She reached around for the heavy cloak she had purchased in the last village and drew it around her. She then made her way to the flaps of her tent and peered out curiously.

She is hardly surprised to find it was Leliana at the source of the noise. She was huddled near the fire the main group had started earlier in the evening, a linen blanket wrapped around her form. The fool girl had a habit of giving necessities like her heavier clothing to strangers that were facing hardships. Little good the gifts would do them when the whole of Ferelden falls to the blight because the warden and his party had all succumbed to sickness. One can hardly expect to slay an archdemon when their lungs are full of fluid.

No matter, she herself was not immune to such bouts of illness and Flemeth had taught her much about simple remedies for such things. It would hardly be too large a task to track down the herbs she would need to brew something to alleviate the symptoms. She is thankful for the late hour, dawn was still a long ways off and the darkness allows her to dress and slip away from camp unseen.

Her whole life had been spent in the wilder parts of Ferelden and as such she easily tracked down what she needed. Elfroot and Spindleweed were the most important parts the other ingredients were mainly meant to help reduce the horrible taste of the mixture when brewed. She found they didn’t help overly much as it was still a foul thing to be made to consume, however in her experience it produced results.

It takes her little time to amass a sizeable amount of what was needed and she is sure to gather extra. She was certain the bard would not be the only one to fall ill before this doomed quest of theirs was completed and with their current path leading them to orzammar who knew when she would be able to resupply again.

She is able to sneak back into camp with little difficulty and that gives her pause. She was hardly on agreeable terms with Leliana but she could admit the woman was skilled and arguably more competent than the majority of their party. She was typically very sharp and alert when left on watch and had in fact caught Morrigan on multiple occasions sneaking in and out of camp in the form of an animal. Perhaps things were more dire than she initially assumed as clearly, the bard was experiencing more than just an annoying cough.

She adds some fuel to her own small fire away from the group and reignites it giving it a few moments to reach a respectable size before setting to work. The scent of the herbs when boiled and blended together makes her stomach rebel slightly and she does not envy Leliana. Assuming she could get the woman to try it that is. She scoops most of the plant debris out of her pot and fills a tankard with the drink.

She strode over to the other woman who was mid-cough and spoke “Drink this.”

Leliana struggles to catch her breath after the last bout of coughing, and eyes her warily “What is it?”

“A herbal remedy. It will help” Morrigan eyes her critically “Although a few days of rest and warmth would help a lot more.” It surprises her how much the state of the woman worries her. She is flushed, presumably with fever and her eyes are clouded with fatigue. Her breathing is erratic and she can’t seem to pull a full breath in.

Leliana scoffs at her “Let me know if you find the time and place for either and I’ll gladly accept” she hesitantly reaches out for the tankard.

“I advise you hold your nose and drink all of it as quickly as you can. T’is, not a pleasant experience.” Morrigan advises, handing over the drink. Much to her amusement, Leliana doesn’t listen and spits the drink back out. “I warned you. Drink it and perhaps I’ll consider taking your watch.”

Leliana seemed to debate and glanced between her tent and the tankard in her hands. She sighed with resignation and held her nose before she downed the remainder of the liquid. She wretches afterward but avoided actually vomiting.

“You should speak with Wynne” Morrigan’s tone is almost scolding as she settles next to her. “We are only a days travel from the Dwarves. Perhaps we can find the time and coin to rest awhile there.”

Leliana smirks “We? Why Morrigan I'm flattered.”

Morrigan rolls her eyes “I will allow that remark to pass, only because you are clearly delirious from fever.” She hesitates, considering the weight of what she wanted to confess next before deciding it wouldn’t matter in the long run. “I do not relish the thought of having to descend into the deep roads without you. T'is inevitable we will be tasked to do so. The others are hardly as competent and we would be at a great disadvantage without you there.”

Leliana’s eyes go wide and Morrigan makes a point of looking away “T’is the truth but do not think on it too much. You are still a fool and we are not friends.”

Leliana is smiling at her “No, I suppose we are not.” She pauses, clearly thinking about her next words carefully “But we have traveled together long enough that I can admit that I respect you. You are a skilled mage and you have a sharp mind, and our group is better for it.”

There was a moment of silence where Morrigan had no witty comeback or biting remark. A moment where something seemed to settle and she felt things were different.

Morrigan sighs, frustrated by her lack of retort “Get some rest, Leliana. I’ll take the rest of your watch.”

“Thank you, Morrigan” Leliana looked almost pathetically grateful.

“Do not thank me. I was simply already awoken by your incessant coughing and would have been awake anyway.” Her tone was near hostile again as she lashed out. She was unsure of what to do with this new sense of understanding between them that she hadn’t asked for nor wanted.

Leliana merely smiled before she stood and made her way to her tent. Morrigan already regretted so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to work on some smaller Morrigan/Leliana stuff in preparation for a bigger project that has spent many many moons in the planning phase. This one will be fairly short and probably have about 4-5 chapters unless the plot runs away on me. All of these will be only lightly edited because I'm doing it myself and I'm horrible at it. Rating is likely to be bumped up as eventually, we go to the deep roads and all the canon-typical violence that's associated with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So I am to become a glorified babysitter then?” Morrigan is outraged. “Why not just leave Wynne here instead, t’is hardly necessary that I remain here.”

Leliana’s illness persists until they reach Orzammar, much to Morrigan’s displeasure. The fool refused to bother Wynne, but had sheepishly come to see if she had any more of the tea from the previous night. Morrigan had reluctantly prepared an even stronger batch but cautioned Leliana that the tea was only temporary fix. It eased the symptoms but would not cure the sickness altogether. Leliana needed rest and the attention of a real healer.

It is to her great relief that before they are even halfway to their destination, Cousland catches on. Leliana had done her best to hide her symptoms. Such as the cough, the shortness of breath and the violent shivers that periodically wracked her body. Arinn Cousland was far more observant than she gave him credit for. She found she often underestimated their de facto leader, she expected little of a spoiled human noble. Arinn had consistently surprised her and proved himself far more competent than most of their little gang of misfits.

Arinn scolded Leliana for not having said anything and made it clear that once they reach Orzammar Leliana was to be confined to bed rest and will follow whatever instructions Wynne had in regards to her recovery. Leliana seemed to have been sufficiently guilted, she had merely nodded and refused to meet his eyes. Like a child, told off by a parent.

Morrigan should not have felt the relief that coursed through her at the news that Leliana would be absent from their exploration in ORzammar. Perhaps she was simply relieved that the other woman’s condition was no longer her problem after she had so foolishly involved herself the night prior. It certainly had nothing to do with any genuine concern for Leliana’s wellbeing.

Still, she keeps an eye on her as they travel, just in case Leliana should fall behind or succumb to a fit of coughing severe enough to incapacitate her. Leliana remained strong though and doesn’t hinder their progress much. They reach the gates or Orzammar before nightfall and the warden manages to secure entry to the city with only one minor brawl.

Morrigan found herself thrown into a state of bewildered awe the second they are past the entryway.  She had never seen such architecture, such high ceilings nor stone so finely carved into works of art. How did a people of such short stature manage to create such a place she wondered. Had they hollowed out the whole mountain top to bottom?

She caught Arinn as he stared at her, an unacceptably smug expression on his features. She swiftly averted her gaze and reigned in her newfound fascination with the dwarven capital. Surely there would be time for her to explore it on her own without bemused looks being thrown at her before they departed.

The political situation within the city was less than ideal. Local politics seemed to have a significant hindrance on their plans, the Warden Treaties useless until there was a ruler on the throne to act on them. UNtil the dwarves cease their arguments and settled on a leader they were stuck. That delay is what led them to the tavern. The party was far from rich and most of their meager funds went into travel supplies and rations. It was simply more efficient for them to share rooms where possible with their limited budget.

This was hardly the first time they’d all stayed at an inn. Rooming arrangements had been established long before now. Zevran and Arinn were already inclined to share, given they slept in the same when on the road anyways. Sten and Alistair had been paired as the other two men in the part while Wynne was usually given her own room. Arinn had simply muttered some nonsense about respect for one's elders and refused to hear any argument from anyone. That left Leliana and Morrigan with the last room.

Typically on such occasions, Morrigan would leave. She took to whatever wilderness was nearby and camped there instead. It was difficult for her to sleep in a town or city after a lifetime surrounded by the wilds, let alone sleep in such close proximity to Leliana.  The arrangement set her on edge, she was rarely in the mood for more religious debate with her would-be roommate.

Their current circumstances prevented her usual avoidance, however. Should she leave the city alone there was no guarantee she would be allowed to re-enter without Arinn present.  With the warden’s sight now set firmly on the resolution of Orzammars current stalemate, it seemed unlikely she would be leaving anytime soon. So now she sat in the corner of a small tavern bedroom while Wynne tended to a less than co-operative Leliana.

“Thank you, Wynne but I am fine” Leliana’s tone remained polite, but Morrigan could sense the underlying exasperation.  

The older mage merely scoffed “Child, I have dealt with such illness many a time. Yes, you will recover but not if you spend your time following Grey Wardens into Maker only knows what kind of trouble.” She paused and her eyes slid to Morrigan “Arinn has ordered both of you remain here while he and the rest of us go to meet with the assembly.” 

Morrigan’s refusal died before it ever left her lips, interrupted by a knock on the door. Wynne stood from her place next to the bed where Leliana sat, looking as dissatisfied as Morrigan felt. It was Arinn at the door of course, expression one of genuine concern and he immediately locked onto Leliana.

“How is she?” He asked Wynne, his eyes flickered between the two of them.

“ _She_ is fine.” Leliana piped up. Morrigan would be tempted to describe her expression as a pout.

Morrigan could have sworn she saw Wynne roll her eyes but the woman had always seemed above such an action. “She will need a few days to rest and recover but I suspect she will be fine.” Wynne reassured Arinn before she turned to Leliana “You are on strict bed rest for at least the next couple of days. It should take us at least that long to sort out this unrest with the dwarven nobility.”

Before Leiana could protest Arinn cut in “Leliana. Just listen to her alright? I have a feeling this won’t be as easy as some simple political maneuvering.” He sighed, frustration at the situation evident “ We need you at your best. I need you back at full strength from when this whole situation inevitably gets physical.”

Leliana slouched and muttered a defeated “Fine.”

“Morrigan, you will stay with her and ensure she does as instructed.” Arinn’s tone left little room for argument. “Wynne will check in periodically to ensure she is improving.”

“So I am to become a glorified babysitter then?” Morrigan is outraged. “Why not just leave Wynne here instead, t’is hardly necessary that I remain here.”

Arinn fixed her with a stern look “I need Wynne’s advice on the current turmoil with the dwarves.” he sighed and the tension drained out of him “Look just take this opportunity to relax, both of you. I have had the two of you accompany me non-stop for the last month and you could both use a break.”

Morrigan relented with a huff “I greatly question the logic of confining two people who can hardly stand one another to the same space for an extended period of time” Morrigan said frustrated “but if Leliana has no objections then I see little choice.”

Arinn switched his focus to Leliana who seemed near the point of collapse. “No objections.” She said the exhaustion was clear in her voice.

“Excellent” Arinn exclaimed, “Now that we have that settled, I believe we have a blight to stop.” He opened the door and gestured for Wynne to follow. They left and an uncomfortable silence fell in their wake.

Leliana said nothing. She simply removed her boots and the outer layers of her leather armor before she collapsed on the bed and pulled the linens around her. Morrigan rolled her eyes. They wouldn’t be in this situation had the other woman not hidden her symptoms. Morrigan was no fool and an illness this severe did not simply develop overnight. Leliana had probably been hiding her symptoms for a few days before any of them had taken notice.

It had been only a moment before Leliana had fallen deeply asleep. Morrigan added fuel to the fire in their room before she gathered a few of the old texts she had liberated from the Circle. The tavern below them had been relatively quiet when they had arrived and she was certain she would be able to concentrate on her books easier outside of the cramped bedroom.

There were only a handful of dwarven occupants when Morrigan descended to the lowest floor of the tavern. She had enough coin to procure food from the barkeep and she settled herself at a table tucked away in a corner. She flipped open a book at random while she began to pick at her meal of bread and meat. The text she had opened turned out to be about ancient elven society. A fascinating subject given what little even the Dalish knew of their own ancestry. She was drawn into the book immediately and easily lost track of time as she absorbed all the information she could. She jotted down notes and her own theories in her journal as she read through, often she stopped to re-read sections to ensure she had a grasp on the topic at hand.  She continued like this until her wrist began to cramp hours later. That and the growing number of patrons in the tavern, and the noise they brought with them prompted her to pack up her materials. She reminded herself that once they settle matters with the dwarves they will be headed for the Dalish and the subject of elven customs and culture is a reasonable subject to look into.

With the tavern much busier than when she arrived she decided to return to the room.  She ascended the stairs to the upper floor and as quietly as she was capable slipped into the bedroom. The fatigue of the day's travel had finally started to sink in and she sighed. She had not awoken Leliana with her entrance and the bard was still sound asleep. Wynne’s medicine seemed to have worked fairly well. Leliana’s breath no longer held the sickly rattle of the previous night and day. Her face was relaxed and in the firelight, Morrigan could not help but find her somewhat beautiful. Certainly, she could now understand why the warden had initially been so smitten with her before Zevran had joined them. She shook herself out of her daze and pushed what she had felt away. Such thoughts had no place when Leliana was the subject.

Morrigan sighed and resigned herself to her sleeping arrangements for the night. They had been forced to share at least once before but she was far from comfortable with someone so close to her as she slept. Especially when that persona was Leliana, who often kept a blade under the pillow and who had played so many roles and been so many different versions of herself before she had ever met them. Who was to say the Leliana they all knew wasn’t just another skin to be shed when her goals were achieved? Morrigan was hesitant to be at any sort of disadvantage around the bard.

She removed her heavy travel clothes and slid into the lighter clothes she had worn when she first joined the warden. ‘Rags’ Leliana had called them, though the insult had rung hollow when the other woman’s eyes had lingered on her exposed skin. Morrigan shivered at the memory. What had triggered such thoughts? Morrigan decided she didn't’ want to know and resolved not to dwell on it. Yet another reason to loathe the bard in her personal space.

She carefully lowered herself onto the section of bed not taken up by Leliana, careful not to touch her as she settled in.  Leliana did not stir from her sleep and Morrigan prepared herself for a long night her skin already crawled from another presence so near to her space. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to will herself into sleep. Hours later it finally claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, I had it written a while back but got sucked into playing the new WoW expansion before I finished editing. On the editing note: I edited like 80% of this while at least 60% drunk.
> 
> I ended up having to scrap all of chapter 3 so that may take a while to get re-written as my work schedule has been all over the place crazy.
> 
> I have been out of the fanfiction writing game for a long ass time, so I'm treating this little fic like a practice run for my next long-fic project which will hopefully be a full novelization of Origins and Inquisition, with Morrigan/Leliana as a focus. Probably with both Morrigan & Leliana's PoVs.
> 
> Please bear with me as i figure out how to word again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leliana PoV this time around. I struggled with this one a lot it got thrown out and redone about 3 or 4 times before I was finally okay ish with it.

Leliana woke before Morrigan and was nearly startled to find a warm body next to her. She had little doubt the idea of sleeping so near to her had caused Morrigan a great deal of discomfort and had she been conscious Morrigan would never have allowed herself to snuggle up so close to Leliana’s back. She had shifted during the night and was near enough that Leliana felt the softest ghost of her breath against her shoulders, the sensation caused goosebumps to form as Leliana started to fully wake up.

Cautiously Leliana raised herself off the bed into a sitting position, relieved to find that Morrigan had not stirred. She took the rare opportunity to study the other woman, it was not Often that she saw her with her guard lowered. Her companion lied facing her with one hand tucked under a pillow while her breathing remained relaxed and even. Leliana studied her face, for once it bore no expression of disapproval or malice and it struck her how young Morrigan must truly be. She had always assumed they were quite close in age with maybe a couple years Between them at most, but now she is unsure. Morrigan looked hardly any older than her twentieth summer and Leliana was surprised that someone with such a jaded view on the world could bear no real signs of age.

It was with great effort that Leliana tore her gaze from the other woman, the mortification That would ensue should Morrigan catch her as she stared spurred her into motion. She rose from the bed and took stock of herself. To her great relief, most of her symptoms had eased from Absolutely debilitating to just mildly annoying. It was easier to get a lung full of air in though there was still an ache when she tried to do so, her throat was no longer so painful that it hurt to swallow and was now just scratchy. The ache that seemed to have settled into her whole body Had mostly abated as well and she made a mental note to thank Wynne for the medicines she had given to her the previous night.

She stretched and made for her pack where she dug around until she found the clothes hat Eamon had provided for them on their last visit to castle Redcliffe. They were simple, but she preferred them to her armor when they were allowed the rare period of downtime, a pair of beige trousers and a lovely sea green tunic. She would have preferred a dress or skirt but it had been years since she had needed to fight in such attire and she was in no rush to make a fool of herself infront of her new companions should trouble arise while they took a break. She removed the remainder of her armor and pulled on the clothes, satisfied with no longer being weighed down by  layers of heavy leather. She then collected a pair of daggers from her pack and the belt that held the before securing them to her waist. She preferred her bow but daggers were a bit more subtle and her tunic covered them nicely. It wouldn’t do to make herself a target here with the city in such a state by walking around so openly armed.

She took a moment to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothing before turning her thoughts to the next task. It was impossible to tell the time of day in the city for fairly obvious reasons, but she was confident in her guess that it was early morning. The rest of the group would be awake already and likely headed down to the tavern for breakfast soon, she was sure that Arinn would want to speak with all of them to discuss the plan of attack. Even if he insisted on leaving the two of them out of the majority of the work here there was bound to be something he needed them to do.

She was in debate with herself over how to wake Morrigan without being murdered when a loud knock sounded at the door. She moved quickly and opened it, unsurprised to find Arinn on the other side.

“Morning.” He said through a yawn, and looked her over “ You look like you are feeling better, I take it you slept well?”

“I did. Wynne’s doing I suspect, I am feeling much better.” She said and almost immediately after the words left her lips, a cough tore its way through her throat. She is sure she looked sheepish as she added: “Although not completely recovered.”

“I am glad you are improving at least “ He was genuinely relieved, she could hear it in his voice. “We are meeting downstairs soon to discuss what to do about the treaty, you and Morrigan are still staying behind for the time being but it’s best we all know what’s going on.”

“Are we to be confined to the tavern or am I free to stretch my legs?” Leliana asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. She knows he means well but Arinn had a tendency to treat others like children and it would be a lie if she said it didn’t irk her.

“If you are feeling up to it I don’t see that being a problem. I would prefer if you two would stay together though, there is a lot of tension out there and inevitably I will have to pick a side” He paused and clearly struggled with how to word his next thought. “I would hate for either of you to get wrapped up in a confrontation alone because I insisted you stay behind.”

“I am sure we can manage that.” Leliana agreed. It wasn’t an unreasonable request given the circumstance, skilled as she and Morrigan were it was still better to approach this new place with caution. Even the most skilled combatant could be taken unawares or overwhelmed with numbers.

“If you do venture out, we need to restock on a few things. Boot laces, whetstones and bandages. I wrote up a list last night and I’m going to see if anyone has anything to add during breakfast.” He paused and pulled out a piece of parchment “If you find yourself near the markets later on I’d appreciate if you could grab this stuff while you’re there”

“Ah reduced to running the errands. However, I am not going to turn down an excuse to go shopping” She paused and considered for a moment as Arinn pocketed the list again “I’m sure I can convince Morrigan to tag along.”

“You two seem to be getting along better lately. What happened? “ He seemed amused by the prospect.

They were certainly an odd pair to see getting along. Out of everyone in their rag-tag little family, they seemed to have the least in common, on the surface at least. The more she managed to learn about Morrigan the more she started to relate to the witch. That being said there wasn’t any delusion in her mind that they were friends, as much as she continued to strive for such a thing. She doesn’t really have an answer to Arinn’s question so shrugs.

“I suppose we are just better at tolerating one another after traveling these last few months.” It was the truth, though Leliana liked to think her persistent attempts to learn more about the woman had helped.

“So I won’t come back and find one of you turned into a toad or something equally as unfortunate?”

Leliana chuckled “Well I can’t speak for Morrigan but I for one don’t think I will be turning into a toad anytime soon. She can do as she pleases in that regard, though a crow might be the more likely outcome.”

He snorted as he laughed before composing himself “I will see the two of you downstairs. Don’t be too long, Alistair and Zev are already down there.”

He turned to leave and Leliana shut the door behind him, the hinges screeched in protest. It was hardly a shock when she looked over and was met with an irritated stare from a pair of piercing yellow eyes that glared up at her from the bed.

“Oh good you’re awake.” Leliana knew she was hardly a morning person. Leliana herself was and sometimes she laid on the cheerful attitude intentionally to annoy Morrigan, much the same way Morrigan did the opposite. She knew just what to say to get under Leliana’s skin, but as of late any genuine hostility had faded. “Everyone is meeting downstairs before they go see the nobility, Arinn wants the two of us there as well.“

Morrigan sat up and placed her head in her hands for a moment before speaking “Is he still insisting on leaving us here.”

“Yes, though it’s not as bad as I had feared.” she politely turned away as Morrigan picked up the clothes she’d discarded the night before. Not that they hadn’t seen one another in various states of undress before, it could hardly be avoided when they lived as they did. Still, she had manners. “He’s not insisting we stay cooped up in here at least.”

“Would it really have made a difference if he had?” she sounded amused.

“No.” Leliana smirked. “Neither of us would be content with that, I think.”

Morrigan snorted “You seem to be feeling better. I wasn’t woken by any more incessant coughing, so I take it you are recovering.”

“I’m feeling much better.” A smile broke out over her face. “I’m touched by your concern, truly.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” her tone is exasperated “I am simply relieved to be able to sleep again.”

Leliana felt a mischievous urge rise up “Do you always cuddle up so close when you sleep?” All sound of movement ceased behind her, she had clearly caught Morrigan off guard. Not something she was able to do often but she relished any chance she had to do so.  Morrigan remained silent for a long moment, long enough that Leliana worried she had maybe overstepped a bit too far.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Morrigan said and Leliana heard footsteps approach her “And we should head downstairs. Surely the others have already made their way down for breakfast.” She walked past Leliana, now dressed in the winter clothes she had come to favour as the weather had cooled. Leliana noted a definite flush on her cheeks but decided against further comment.

Morrigan grabbed the staff that had been sitting in the corner of the room. Leliana knew the look on her face was smug and when Morrigan turned to face her she is hardly surprised to see annoyance there. She did feel a bit guilty for commenting on something that she knew Morrigan was bound to be sensitive about and opened her mouth to apologize but was promptly stopped by Morrigan.

“Not a word. Not a single word, bard” Morrigan said, blush still prominent on her cheeks.

Leliana smirked but said nothing and merely followed after her companion as she headed for the door. Interesting, she’d never quite managed to embarrass Morrigan before. She looked quite stunning when she was flustered, and Leliana had the curious need to see the Morrigan in such a state again. Perhaps this mandatory break would prove more entertaining than she had initially anticipated.


	4. Chapter 4

Breakfast was a rather dull affair. Aside from a brief conversation with one of the assembly members the night prior they didn’t have a lot of other information to work with. Morrigan found herself bored with the whole affair and tuned out when Alistair and Arinn started to argue about splitting them into teams. Leliana was sat to her right and picked idly at the selection of food in front of her, she looked equally unimpressed with the bickering. She sighed and propped her head up on her hand while she looked between the two men before her eyes wandered to Morrigan.

 

Morrigan scowled as their gazes met and promptly looked away. Their earlier conversation still had her off balance. It was a trait of Leliana’s that she both delighted in and hated in equal measure, the bard had proven to be fun to prod at. She surprised Morrigan with her ability to get under her skin, it made Leliana interesting and worth speaking with. Morrigan enjoyed the few times she managed to bring out the bards darker sense of humor it somehow tarnished the uppity personality she displayed for everyone else and she lived for those moments where it was clear that Leliana was not as ‘good’ as she tried to appear. Other times it backfired on her, however, if she prodded at a sore subject Leliana was just a quick to target hers and left Morrigan in a flurry of overthinking and confused as to why she cared what the bard had to say.

 

Leliana had flirted with her in the past as well, something Morrigan had always laughed off. She assumed it was born out of the same place as her own attempts with Sten, purely to get a rise out of the other. Once they had added Zevran to their ranks she had become somewhat desensitized to such comments, the elf was incessant even after he’d developed a relationship with Arinn. Today, however, she found her thoughts lingered on the subject as the warden droned on, something about the proper process involved in politics. The infuriating grin that had graced Leliana’s features earlier had stuck with her for some reason as did the knowledge that for the first time in her living memory she had gravitated towards someone else in her sleep. It unsettled her greatly, she had never been known to do such in the few other times that she had shared a bed with another. She could not fathom why Leliana would be an exception, especially given they had shared a room prior to last night. 

 

She doubted it was something that she had done in the handful of times they’d had to share before, Leliana would never have missed the opportunity to tease her about it. These thoughts troubled her and turned over and over in her head until Arinn called the meeting to a close. Wynne and Alistair excused themselves and Morrigan took the opportunity to do the same. It seemed Leliana wanted to discuss something with Arinn and she was glad of the chance at a few moments alone to sort out her troubled thoughts.

 

She made her way back up the stairs to their room and settled herself on the edge of the bed. She was tempted to simply lie down and return to sleep, she could still feel the exhaustion from the last week of travel in her every muscle and joint. A weight seemed to settle into her limbs and she nearly gave in, before she remembered that her body could no longer be trusted to stay where she left it during sleep. She stood abruptly and began to pace the space in front of the fireplace and within a few minutes the drowsiness had left, replaced by a feeling of restlessness that she was all too familiar with. It happened anytime she was confined to the indoors for too long a time.

 

That at least she could understand about herself. She had never had any real need to stay cooped up in close quarters before more recent times. In the wilds or while they were traveling should she feel the intense bursts of energy creep up on her she would simply embrace it and allow it to run its course. She would run the woods as a wolf or lift into the skies as a raven, sometimes for days back when she still called the wilds her home. Her mother had never really commented on such absences, she seemed to understand and it was something that had remained unspoken between them. She had always merely set Morrigan back to her chores without a word. It was a side effect of growing up in a world with no real boundaries, she was not comfortable staying in such enclosed places with so many other people nearby. She had never been good at being still, even with the expanse of the wilds around her. 

 

She paused in her contemplation and ceased pacing she realized that she had the option of exploring Orzammar open to her. She had never thought much on the Dwarves, she had only met a handful of them before she had set out with the Wardens. The thought of learning more about them did not displease her and she felt a small thrill at the things she might learn if she delved into their history. They were linked so strongly to the darkspawn, they’d fought them below the surface all while the other races put the creatures out of mind until they started to appear above ground. Perhaps there was something useful to be gained from such an ancient place after all. 

 

Her ability to go and find out was regrettably linked to what Leliana chose to do, though given the bard’s love for legends and history she doubted Leliana would be opposed to such inquiries. Surely the dwarves had an archive somewhere, a library of sorts where they could find such things. She was certain they would be able to avoid any sore topics if they were both too busy immersing themselves in dwarven history. The chance to stretch her legs and see the rest of the city would also be a relief, it would help take her mind off their conversation from earlier.

 

She nodded to herself and started to prepare her things for an outing into the city. Unlike Lelina she could get away with taking her staff most places. A mage was never without a weapon, and everyone knew that. Staff or no staff she still had the capability to be lethal, no one was going to complain about a stick with that in mind. She doubted Leliana had actually left all her weapons behind either. They had once been required to leave their weapons with a tavern owner while they ate, Leliana had no less than 7 different weapons that the tavern’s guards had removed from her person. Alistair had jokingly asked if that was actually all of them after they’d found a table and were waiting on drinks. Evidently, he was not prepared for the completely serious answer of a simple “No.” followed by 3 small daggers landing on the table. Morrigan was not entirely certain she wished to know where the bard had hidden them. 

 

She placed the few necessities for their trip into the city into her pack and then decided to tidy up the room. She started with the bed first and began to return things to some semblance of order. She was only mildly startled when a knife clattered to the floor after she readjusted a pillow. The bard always slept with a weapon within arms reach, a result of her previous profession no doubt. Orlais was still a mystery to Morrigan but it sounded ridiculous and if even half the things Leliana said about it were true then she was more than happy to stay far away. 

  
  


She moved around the bed and crouched to pick up the dagger, a surprisingly ornate one that she hadn’t seen before. She knew first hand what kind of damage Leliana could deal with little more than a kitchen knife, it made sharing a room with her a less than relaxed experience for Morrigan. There was always a fear there in the back of her mind that one day the bard would attack her while she slept. Perhaps she should ask Leliana to refrain from leaving weapons in the bed when they shared, surely she would understand why such a thing made Morrigan uncomfortable. She set the dagger on the table in the corner of the room and finished with the bed. 

 

She folded her other set of clothing that had been discarded on the floor earlier and stored it away with her other traveling gear. They had not been here long enough yet for there to be any real mess to clean up but she knew from previous experience if she didn’t make a point of cleaning up it would take next to no time for their things to become scattered across the whole room. She’d had to rescue several spellbooks from Leliana before as a result of an extended stay in Denerim when they’d been accidentally packed away in Leliana’s things. She intended to keep a much stricter divide between them this time, although she had already begun to fail in that regard if the night prior was any indicator.  

 

She sighed, frustrated that her thoughts insisted on returning to Leliana. The whole situation was completely ridiculous and unprecedented. The only other time the other woman had ever lingered in her mind in such a way was when they’d argued in the earlier days of their adventure. It was a rare occurrence nowadays that they should argue in the same way, with words meant to wound but it had been common before. They had both been far too observant and too skilled at finding ways to hurt one another. Even then Morrigan’s focus had mostly been centered on some means of revenge not whatever confusing mess of thoughts now plagued her. 

 

Something would have to be done clearly. She scowled as she realized this was probably all a result of them being far too friendly lately. She would need to attempt to fix that somehow, much as she loathed a return to their prior animosity. Maybe she could push the bard away just a little, not back to how they bickered and hated before but somewhere just less than friends. She didn’t want Leliana to hate her again, now that she herself no longer felt as such about the other woman. Damn it when did she start to care about what Leliana thought about her? When had this all gotten so complicated?

She nearly growled in frustration with it all. She enjoyed Leliana’s friendship and didn’t want to lose it entirely but she was hesitant to allow it to progress any further. It was distracting, having someone who mattered around. She sighed and forced the tension in her back to relax slightly. Perhaps things would settle down as the days went on, she was simply overreacting to a new shift in her relationship with Leliana and to being cooped up. Leliana was evidently taking her time with whatever she had wanted to speak with the warden about so Morrigan settled onto the bed with the book she had been studying before. The sooner the bard was finished and they could leave the inn the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally. NOt happy with how this one ended but I was struggling and would have spent another month screaming at the last 4 or 5 paragraphs before I posted it so. Here we are
> 
> Next chapter is shopping, and also probably the most dialogue I will have written for this fic. I might come back and edit this one a bit better but for now, I just needed to post it before I went crazy. 
> 
> Appreciate all the comments everyone has left! They really do help me beat the writer's block back, I try to reply to them in my downtime but I don't have a ton of that nowadays that isn't spent hibernating.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wow this one took forever and still managed to be mostly filler LOL so so sorry for the wait. I finally had a decently productive day

Leliana had sensed Morrigan’s unease during breakfast. The witch had a nervous, far off look in her eyes all through the meal. Leliana felt a twinge of regret for her earlier teasing, it hadn’t been her intention to upset her. She found herself curious as well, what exactly had she said that put Morrigan so off balance?

 

Morrigan had left the table with Wynne and Alistair and Leliana opted to give her some space. She remained behind with Arinn and Zevran while she picked at the remains of her food. She watched as Arinn met Zevran’s gaze and there was a moment where he seemed to forget her presence. His features softened and a smile spread across his lips, his whole posture shifted and Leliana had to restrain a sigh. They were adorable if less than subtle. Then he seemed to remember she was there and schooled his features and turned away from Zevran who rolled his eyes and smirked at Leliana.

 

Leliana was unsure why Arinn insisted on pretending there was nothing going on between the two of them. Everyone in their little rag tag band knew, they’d been sharing a tent for weeks. Zevran was certainly never quiet about his interest in… well anyone. It had been more than obvious the two of them were involved for a long time now.

 

She grinned at Arinn “So the shopping list?” she did her best to avoid sounding cheeky, a task easier said than done with the amused grin Zevran aimed her way.

 

Arinn scowled at her and tossed a roll of parchment at her “Here.”

 

She restrained a giggle as she caught it and began to untie the twine holding it together. His voice always dropped when he was feeling insecure about something, something she had picked up on whenever he had interacted with various diplomats.

 

She unrolled the list and looked it over, it was fairly simple. Mostly just the usual things they needed: Bandages, whetstones, boot laces, rations, thread and a hastily written list of herbs in Wynne’s familiar script. She recognized a few but was glad Morrigan would be with her as there were several that were new to her. It would hardly take them any time at all to work their way through the list and she was almost sad about that. The more time she had as an excuse to be out of the tavern the better.

 

She had a few personal items to look out for as well, she needed new boots and some thicker gloves. She was running low on arrows as well and would need to stock up on them before everything inevitably went down hill. She was good with her daggers but prefered to stay out of striking range when possible. She looked back up to Arinn who had a slight frown on his face.

 

“I am sure we can manage this” She said and inched her chair away from the table as she stood. She looked pointedly between the two of them and winked “I’ll go check on Morrigan and give you two some privacy.

 

Arinn’s face is already growing red even in the mere moment it takes her to turn around and head swiftly for the rooms.

 

\---

 

She intentionally slowed her pace once she was a safe distance away from Arinn’s temper. She dawdled on her way down the hall to the room, hoping to give Morrigan as much time to relax as possible. She’d never meant for her teasing to actually unsettle her friend, especially given how much time they’d be forced to spend together for the next couple days. She prayed that the little bit of alone time she’d bought Morrigan was enough for her to shake off whatever weird mood had taken hold earlier. She walked to their door and hesitated a moment before she knocked and entered.

 

The time she had spent downstairs proved to be more than enough for her companion to relax it would seem as Morrigan had fallen asleep. She was curled up on top of the bedcovers a book discarded next to her. She seemed to be quite deeply asleep and there was no sign Leliana’s knock on the door had woken her even slightly.

 

Leliana couldn’t help the fond smile that crept across her expression. It was so rare for her to catch Morrigan in an unguarded moment like this, though it seemed to be happening more in the last week or so. Morrigan was starting to warm up to her perhaps? An almost giddy energy took root in her chest and she had to refrain from making a very undignified noise in response.

 

She sighed in exasperation at her own reaction instead. Honestly it was utterly unfair how cute the grouchy apostate could be when she thought no one was watching. It drove Leliana insane some days, this fondness she’d developed for Morrigan. She eyed her sleeping companion thoughtfully for a moment and decided to let her sleep. Clearly she had not slept well the night prior and there was little harm in delaying their trip to the markets a little longer.

 

She busied herself with small tasks that she often neglected. Her daggers needed to be sharpened, her armor had a few rips and tears she tended to, she had to take stock of her remaining arrows and her other equipment needed to be inspected for wear and tear. It took her a significantly longer amount of time than she’d expected to work through all of the maintenance she needed to do and by the time she was finished they really did need to get moving.

 

She stood and made her way to the bed and laid her hand on Morrigan’s shoulder, slightly apprehensive at the contact. Morrigan was hardly the kind of person who enjoyed unnecessary physical contact. It had been one of the contributing factors to their initially rocky relationship: Where Morrigan’s instinct was to withdraw and move away from others Leliana’s instinct was to reach out and try to close that gap. Evidently Leliana had been persistent enough that Morrigan had started to stop pulling away, they were friends now despite Morrigan’s attempts to chase her off.

 

Perhaps she should have called out to her first rather than invade her space this way? Leliana shook her head, chasing scattered thoughts away. Surely in this instance she would be forgiven, so she shook Morrigan’s shoulder gently and said “Morrigan, wake up”

 

The change in the sleeping form was immediate, her body stiffened and her face tensed. Slowly yellow eye’s emerged from behind heavy lids and their eyes met. Leliana could see the dazed confusion of sleep still lingering as Morrigan slowly blinked a few times trying to make sense of the world. Leliana felt the same feeling from earlier begin to creep up on her but pushed it back down.

 

Morrigan seemed to wake up fully and suddenly, she jerked away from her. Leliana had forgotten to remove her hand once she had shaken the other woman awake and retracted it quickly before she explained “You fell asleep and I didn’t have the heart to wake you earlier. We have shopping to do today”

 

She swore she saw colour rise to Morrigan’s cheeks as the other woman stood and smoothed out her clothing. “Well then, let us get to it” she didn’t meet Leliana’s gaze as she walked over to the staff leaning against the wall and made her way too the door.

 

Leliana sighed as she followed her, things were still strange then it seemed.


End file.
